More than 50 million people in southwestern China are being affected by the worst drought in 60 years.
In some places, it is the worst drought in a century, and forecasters see no sign of it abating soon.
China's creeping sandsBy Frank and Andreas Sieren
State media says the drought has cost the national economy nearly $3bn and left more than 20 million people without adequate access to drinking water.
The five-month dry spell has drastically affected the autonomous region of Guangxi, the megacity of Chongqing, and the province of Sichuan. But the provinces of Yunnan and Guizhou have experienced the most severe conditions. Al Jazeera's Harry Fawcett reports from a village near the town of Yiliang in Yunnan province.
Content on this website is for general information purposes only. Your comments are provided by your own free will and you take sole responsibility for any direct or indirect liability. You hereby provide us with an irrevocable, unlimited, and global license for no consideration to use, reuse, delete or publish comments, in accordance with Community Rules & Guidelines and Terms and Conditions.